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Morgan Freeman

The Comeback Trail: Hollywood is Murder

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The Comeback Trail follows Max Barber and Walter Creason (Robert De Niro and Zach Braff), two down-on-their-luck Hollywood producers who can’t seem to make a hit. In debt with a ruthless mobster (Morgan Freeman) and trying to stay afloat, Max gets an idea for a scam that could bail them out of financial ruin. For their next film, he hires ageing movie star Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) as their lead actor with the hope that he’ll die on set so that they can collect the insurance money. However, as the filming commences, Duke, Walter and the rest of the team are re-invigorated by the process and Max must hide his true intentions.

Blending the wild west antics of City Slickers with the satirical edge of Wag the Dog, The Comeback Trail is is an over-the-top, silly comedy that probably shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Written and directed by George Gallo, there’s simply an infectious joy within the film that invests you in the characters. Backed by a solid cast and a (mostly) entertaining script, Gallo has created a movie that likely won’t be remembered in the long run but certainly entertains. 

Although his choices have been hit (Last Vegas, Analyze This) and miss (Dirty Grandpa, Analyze That) throughout his career, De Niro has always shown an interest in comedy. While he’s never been great at wackier material, there’s no doubt that he seems invested in his performance here. In fact, Comeback allows DeNiro’s performance as a corrupt producer to tap into the type of sleaze that makes him such a memorable villain. 

However, while De Niro may be the film’s central focus, it’s really Braff and Jones who steal the show. Braff has an incredible ability to move between silliness and earnestness within his performances, which proves invaluable when held up against De Niro’s frenetic energy. Meanwhile, as washed up veteran Duke Montana, Jones absolutely shines as his character begins to find his stride. Jones has always had the ability to bring gravitas to a role and he manages to offer the film’s strongest performance by far.

Embedded within the film is a message about moving forward. While Max and Duke remain entrenched in the pain of their past, the world around them continues to grow and change. They are the old guard. Living in an era where toxic masculinity and white privilege run rampant and remains unchallenged, both men have been willing to compromise their integrity for the sake of fame and success. 

However, whereas Max seems unable to face a new world, Duke recognizes the damage that he’s caused and seeks to do things differently. (In this way, the film also contains a subtext of ‘white guilt’ as Duke carries the burden of turning his back on visible minorities due to his own selfishness, both on and offscreen.) Embracing change with humility and grace, Duke is grateful for a second chance. By hiring Megan as director and attempting to repair the mistakes of his past, Duke genuinely wants to live his life differently in the future. Through Duke’s journey, Comeback shows that there’s room for change—and potentially hope for those who have caused the harm in the first place

While Comeback is far from perfect, it does have a liveliness and fun that genuinely works. More importantly, even though it may be over-the-top, there’s more to this story than first appears. As Braff, De Niro and Jones slog through the trials of the movie industry, Comeback reveals the brutal toxicity that has held it together for so long. Though change is definitely in the wind, the film shows that Hollywood really can be murder.

The Comeback Trail is available on demand on Friday, August 13th, 2021.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard: Reynolds, Hayek and Jackson comedy goes Fast & Furious

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The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard brings back beloved (and unlicensed) bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), who is having an identity crisis of sorts. While taking a sabbatical from work, Bryce is thrown back into action when Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek) drops back into his life and demands his help in rescuing her kidnapped husband, hitman Darius (Samuel L. Jackson). After freeing him from his abductors, the three are recruited by the FBI to prevent madman Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas) from bringing his maniacal plans to reality. Though they can hardly stand the sight of one another, the three must set aside their differences in order to save Europe from total chaos. 

Wild and unruly, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a fun but flawed ride that earns its credibility through sheer star power. Back behind the director’s chair is Patrick Hughes who kicks things up a notch from the last entry. Whereas the first film kept things (relatively) straightforward with its plot, the sequel goes for more… everything. More comedic banter. More gunfire and blood. Higher stakes and stunts. (In fact, the story has leaned into its own wildness so much that it borders on the type of mayhem that have made the Fast and Furious films a global success.)

However, while Wife’s Bodyguard may be over-the-top with its story and characters, it still remains a fun ride. Despite its madness, Hughes understands that the true building block of the film remains its leads and they receive the attention that they deserve. Even though Jackson and Reynolds have great comedic banter together, the most welcome piece is Hayek, whose role is increased significantly (as the title suggests). Though she has mixed up her acting choices throughout her career, Hayek’s comedic talents have always been her greatest strength and she bounds around onscreen with an energetic silliness.

Although the leads receive significant screen time, it’s worth noting though that the supporting characters feel like they’re given little to do. While Freeman’s role is more of a cameo, one would expect that Banderas would have more time to establish himself in a villainous role but his scenes feel minimal. (Having said this, it is fun to see him working again with Hayek. Desperado reunion!) However, one could argue that the actor who suffers most in the film is the stellar Frank Grillo. As FBI Agent O’Neill, Grillo’s character is set up with a significant introduction and then almost criminally underused within the film, despite his seeming importance to the script.

At its heart, Wife’s Bodyguard emphasizes the importance and impact of our parents. Here, all the characters are either feeling the damage left by their families or looking to begin one of their own. For example, the film highlights the pressure that Michael feels to live up to his father’s legacy. As one of the world’s best bodyguards, Michael’s step-father is respected by all. Although he loves his father, Michael constantly views himself as a comparative failure, especially without his AAA license. At the same time, as Sonia and Darius try to set out on their honeymoon, she yearns to be a mother. While the two try desperately to have children of their own, they have yet to be successful and Sonia is growing increasingly frustrated with the delays.

While the two stories seem to differ, the film holds them up against one another in such a way as to highlight what it means to choose your own family. Though the characters may not be related, Darius, Sonia and Michael continue to establish a bond of support for one another that draws them together. In a strange way, this creates a newly supportive (but dysfunctional) environment that becomes a family that we choose ourselves. (Again, this theme seems to echo the heart of the Fast and the Furious films…) By taking biology out of the equation, Hitman’s Bodyguard emphasizes the importance of our relationships and having people around us that have our backs.

To Wife’s Bodyguard, that is the nature of family.

With heightened stakes and antics, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard should entertain fans of the first film and its leads. Despite the film’s flaws, Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek have a zaniness about them that always makes them interesting to watch, even in moments when this Hitman misses the mark.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is available in theatres on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Angel Has Fallen: Banning Goes Boom!

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Angel Has Fallen sees the return of Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who is arrested after he is believed to be responsible for the failed assassination attempt of U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). After escaping from custody, Banning must evade the FBI and his own agency to discover the truth behind the attack. Desperate to clear his name, Banning must turnto unlikely allies in order to save his life and, more importantly, the entire country.

Directed (and co-written) by Ric Roman Waugh (Snitch), Angel is the third movie in the Fallen franchise, this time turning the conspiracy plot against Agent Banning himself. On the run for a crime he didn’t commit, the film doesn’t shy away from any of the particular clichés that fill the genre. Person from his past with an agenda? Check. A ‘higher power’ bent on destruction? Sure. FBI agent who may believe Banning is innocent despite the facts? Absolutely. (At one point, one yearns for Tommy Lee Jones’ speech about searching every ‘dog house, hen house and outhouse’ from The Fugitive.)

Gerard Butler stars as ‘Mike Banning’ in ANGEL HAS FALLEN. Photo Credit: Simon Varsano.

But none of that matters here.

From the outset, Angel knows exactly what it wants to offer its audience and it does so with confidence and style. What remains most important for action films like the Fallen franchise are the quality of the set pieces. As a result, despite the above plot clichés, Angel thankfully proves wildly entertaining through its action sequences and sheer desire for wanton destruction. Subtly has never been the goal for this franchise as Banning must duck, dodge and dive his way through increasingly difficult odds on his way to clear his name. Loud, boisterous and fun, the film unapologetically plays out like a theme park ride—and that is to its credit. (Personally, I found the sequences involving the drone attack or the semi-truck particularly fun.)

As Banning, Butler has clearly grown more comfortable in the role of the Secret Service agent and Angel allows him to explore the characters history more than previous films. Broken by the job physically and emotionally, Banning is weighing whether or not he can continue in his current role or if he should finally take a position behind a desk for the sake of his family. (“We’re lions,” an old friend reminds him.”) Time is clearly catching up with Banning and his priorities have changed with a young child and his wife to think about. As a result, the film is interested in exploring what it means to make sacrifices, whether it involves taking a bullet for the president or giving up the only thing you know for the sake of your family and health. (Weirdly, the film even tries to hold Banning’s decision up against his own father’s decision to abandon his family in his youth.) As a result, Butler gives the audience a chance to feel for the big lug as he works through his own personal drama while fighting for his life and reputation.

In the end, Angel Has Fallen admittedly has little depth to its script but that isn’t the goal. This is a film that wants to entertain you by assaulting your eyes and ears with excess and, for the most part, it works. Should the film succeed financially, one can fully expect to see more of Banning over the next few years as well. 

Now, pass the popcorn.

Angel has Fallen blows up the box office beginning on August 23rd, 2019

The Story of God S3:E1 – Struggling with Evil

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(National Geographic/Maria Bohe)

As humans, we have the desire to do good, but cannot always find the ability or capacity to do so.  To this end, we walk upon the earth where a constant battle plays out in our hearts and souls.  The goal is to eventually get rid of evil in our lives.  But we fall down constantly and have to deal with the effects of sin as a result.  Often, we attempt to give these struggles a personification.

We call him the devil or Satan.

In the first episode of The Story of God (Season 3), host Morgan Freeman takes a look at who exactly the devil is and has been made out to be over the centuries.  There are some major differences between religions, yet there is one common reality: nobody wants to be filled with evil.  There’s something about the light that has the ability to penetrate darkness and yet overcome it (see John 1:5).

Freeman takes a look at three religious groups – namely, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism – and sees that the groups look at the devil in very different ways.  For the Christian, Satan is the prince of demons and is one to avoid.  Jesus himself was tempted by the devil in the Gospels as he fasted for 40 days and nights. When one is weak and hungry, there is a tendency to do things that are not in one’s best interest (example: those Snickers commercials on television).  Monks at a 5th century monastery recreate Jesus’ struggle daily in the Judean desert as they fast and constantly battle with the devil for their lives. To them, death with faith is better than life with no faith.  Thus, a living faith in God is critical in order to ward off Satan.

If it turns out that people are filled with demons and such, they must be removed to avoid the controlling influence of evil.  In the Catholic church, this means exorcisms (prayers to the soul who needs help) must exist.  Freeman interviews an individual who had gone through five years of exorcisms  to rid himself of the struggles he was facing.  It was interesting and reminded me of watching an individual be healed of demon possession while I was at a Christian festival three decades ago.

But in some faiths, the goal is to win the devil to our side.  Buddhists think in this fashion, struggling to convince his minions to become good via offerings that will tame their minds.  To this end, a person becomes their own enemy and their own protector.  Hindus focus on elevating their spirit above all over tendencies.  In their view, there is no such thing as 100% evil; a speck of light exists somewhere in a person. Thus, there is no true devil.

Satan is a finite being through the Christian tradition, having been thrown to earth after he attempted an overthrow of God’s throne (see Isaiah 14:12).  As a result, he can only be in one place at one specific time.  I get frustrated with people who constantly blame the devil for all of their individual problems when there are more than 7 billion other people on Earth—as if our struggles demand his personal attention.  It’s likely one or more of his minions—CS Lewis discussed this quite eloquently in his novel The Screwtape Letters. Satan exists—and our job as followers of Jesus is to resist his (and other demonic) advances, knowing that in the end, the result of the battle has been determined.  Spoiler alert: The good God wins. Light overcomes darkness every morning with the rising of the sun, a subtle reminder to each of us to keep struggling on.  And we will look up and keep doing just that.

Season 3 of The Story of God continues on National Geographic each Tuesday at 9 PM/8 CT.

The Story of God – Season 3: Conversations on Faith

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(National Geographic/Maria Bohe)

For the past two seasons, National Geographic has partnered with Revelations Entertainment (Madame Secretary) to help viewers answer, for themselves, questions involving God.  Entitled The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, the host (none other than Freeman himself) goes around the world to in order to find out about various religious topics including evil, miracles, and even the Apocalypse.  The show has been picked up by National Geographic for a third season and will focus this time around on deadly sins, visions of God, and that character George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? referred to as “having a bifurcated tail and carrying a hayfork”—the devil. I recently had the opportunity to talk with the three heads of Revelations Entertainment—Lori McCready, James Younger, and Morgan Freeman—about the upcoming season and what viewers can expect.

McCready mentioned that regarding the series, they felt the devil was just as important as God to cover.  It just took three seasons to have room to make it happen. To that effect, the key purpose of the show is to inspire people to have conversations about faith: how it has moved people, changed individuals, and transformed communities. To this end, the show focuses more on individual experiences versus scholar’s viewpoints. These experiences help to reveal more of a dynamism that the viewer will be able to detect.

McCreary notes that the concept of the devil was something that really surprised her during the filming.  In Christianity, for example, Jesus is tempted and resists Satan’s advances (see Matthew 4:1-11), but Buddhists are commanded to befriend the devil and his minions. Although there are unique differences between religious faiths, there are also connection points that people can use to build bridges and community, according to Younger. Freeman added, “Don’t be afraid . . . We’re not that far apart.”

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman will be shown on National Geographic beginning March 5th at 9 PM (8 PM Central).

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – A New Take on an Old Tale

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The Nutcracker has become an established holiday tradition. Most of us know it as the ballet and its Tchaikovsky music and now, Disney is bringing forth a new incarnation of the story in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

The credits say the film is “suggested by the short story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E. T. A Hoffman and the ‘Nutcracker Ballet’ by Marius Petipa”. It is both familiar and different. The familiarity comes from the main elements of the story, plus the use of the Tchaikovsky music and bits of dance within the story. The difference comes from new places that this film takes the story.

In this version, directed by Lasse Halström and Joe Johnston, we meet Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy), a bright fourteen year-old in Victorian London. Clara is something of an inventor. In the opening scene, she demonstrates her Rube Goldberg-esque mousetrap. But Clara also has a sadness about her. This is the first Christmas for her family after the death of her mother. Before heading out to a Christmas party, her father (Matthew MacFadyen) gives her and her siblings presents from their mother. Clara’s is an egg-shaped box, but it is locked and there is no key—only a note that says, “Everything you need is inside.”

At the party, we meet her godfather Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman), also an inventor, who made the egg for Clara’s mother. He notes how hard it will be to open without the key. But later, seeking for her godfather’s present, she finds herself in a very different world. When she finds the key there, a mouse runs in, steals the key and runs off. Chasing after it she meets a nutcracker guard, Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jaden Fowora-Knight). Thus begins Clara’s adventure.

It turns out that her mother had been to this world, where she was the queen. Clara is welcomed like a princess and meets the regents of the various realms, most notably Sugar Plum (Kiera Knightley). It turns out that since her mother’s time, the kingdom there has faced rebellion. Three of the realms still enjoy the wonders of this world, but the Fourth Realm, presided over by Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren) and the Mouse King, has separated itself and fallen into darkness and disorder.

They look to Clara to save them. There is a weapon Clara’s mother designed that could bring an end to this, but the key is lost. Clara recognizes that it is the same key that opens her egg. So she sets off with a band of soldiers, led by the nutcracker into the Fourth Realm to regain the key. But when she does, we learn all is not as we have been told and not everyone is as they seem.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story as Clara must discover her strength and how to overcome the adversity not only of the mystical kingdom she has discovered, but in the real world as well. Through her adventure she learns that even though her mother is gone, her mother’s love and influence still touches her. She also learns that others suffer just as she does and that she is able to bring healing just as others can heal her.

Clara’s growth is facilitated by the connections she finds in the two worlds. Her godfather was very close to her mother throughout her life and sees in Clara someone very like her. He is able to trust Clara with the tasks he knows await her in the kingdom. Her father, who she views as uncaring is, in fact, as overwhelmed by grief as Clara. In that, they find a new touchpoint for their relationship. Within the Kingdom her strongest connection is with Phillip, the nutcracker. Sugar Plum tries to push her way into Clara’s life, but the sweetness she shows turns out to be saccharine. Others, once she learns the truth, bring her the wisdom and courage she will need. While we may look at Clara as the center of the story, it is important to know that she never does anything by herself. She always has the support of others in making things right.

This iteration of the Nutcracker tale also has a small political bite to it. One of the characters, as the real battle for control grows, notes that the kingdom now has “a big, beautiful army to protect it”. But in this case, the army is not used for protection, but for oppression. It reminds us that force in itself is not our protection—and can even be antithetical to security. One of the messages found in the cross of Christ is that victory does not come through the world’s idea of strength. It is a message that we often have a hard time remembering in a world that trusts military and political might.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Landing Up: Looking for Home

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Life in the 21st century is vastly different than it was even a generation ago.  We can communicate with people around the globe instantly using wireless technology.  Social media has allowed people to crowdsource their opinions and direct changes in everything from parenting to government. Some cars on the road can now drive themselves without any input from a human.

However, some things remain the same. Humanity still cannot teleport à la the video game, Halo, American Idol is still on television, traffic jams are still a way of life and people are still homeless, whether by situation or choice. In fact, the National Alliance to End Homelessness says that in 2017, an estimated 553,742 people were homeless on any given night in America.  That’s a pretty staggering number.

But what would you do if you were homeless and had to hide it in order to have a dream life with the one you love? In the film Landing Up (out today on DVD and VOD), director Dani Tenenbaum explores this concept in the form of Chrissy (Stacy Maltin) and her friend Cece (E’dena Hines).  It’s a dark, gritty film that explores the underbelly of homelessness, eventually leaving the viewer with a nasty taste in their mouth.

Chrissy and Cece look like two normal individuals that you’d encounter at the grocery store, but homelessness is a reality the two constantly experience. Chrissy and Cece are doing everything in their power to save up enough money to acquire their dream home—an apartment that the two can call their own.  Living In New York City, this is far from an easy task. People are always desiring places to live, and as a result, the prices of residences are beyond exorbitant. What can Chrissy and Cece do?

The answer is not what one would immediately expect. Chrissy takes menial jobs passing out flyers for a comedy club. She and Cece sit on the street and panhandle. And they take advantage of people who see them as attractive, resorting to prostitution to not only make money, but have a roof over their heads for one evening.  In fact, Chrissy keeps a journal with the names and numbers of guys she’s picked up—along with unique names she’s given them for herself (Callie; Katie Jo; etc.).  Cece has only known the homeless shelter and is in a relationship with an extreme control freak who hurts her constantly—yet she keeps returning to him time and time again. Of course, the homeless shelter is an option, but even things aren’t what they seen there.

Chrissy meets David (Ben Rapoport) while sitting under a tree under the park one afternoon, and the two develop a relationship immediately.  However, this isn’t the normal type of one-night stand Chrissy is used to; she loves David.  He’s a brander at an advertising firm and shares an apartment with another guy, who is suspicious about Chrissy from the outset.

The questions are many for Chrissy: How long can I put up a fantasy so I can perhaps get out of the homeless life?  Will I be able to trust David with my secret?  How will he respond to the knowledge that he’s dating a homeless person?

Maltin does a great job as Chrissy, trying to figure out how to balance homelessness with a life she’s only dreamed of.  She’s strong, vulnerable, and conflicted—sometimes all at once. Hines, in her last performance before she was brutally murdered (5 Flights Up, in which she played Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter), presents a caring hand and sympathetic ear while developing her own brand of inner fortitude and endurance. But to make the film work, Maltin and Rapoport have to look the role of a couple—and they do this quite easily.  Tenenbaum’s ending, however, is jarring in that Chrissy’s revelation of homelessness to David occurs indirectly—and in the final seconds of the film.  It feels like a cop-out.

One poignant scene in Landing Up worth discussing involves Chrissie confiding to David after he confronts her about a video of Chrissie he saw on the internet. She deftly defends herself, then tells him, “My parents said I was unsaveable.”  I sincerely wanted to cry when I heard that.  The truth is quite different in real life.  We don’t always get to choose the circumstances of our lives, but we can do our best in the meantime.  Thankfully, nobody is beyond the reach of God and his love.  The prophet Hosea put this on display when he was told by God to marry Gomer, a prostitute.  She bore him three children, then ran away to another man.  Instead of completely cutting ties with her as a result, God told him to get her back. Hosea gathered up some funds and purchased Gomer again, this time telling her, “You shall stay with me many days” (Hosea 3:4a NKJV). The point is that even when we’re far away from God, doing everything possible to stay out of his sight, he has a long enough arm that can gently reach out and bring us back to him. And just like Hosea, he bought us at a great price in the form of Jesus’ death and subsequent return to life.

May we remember that even in our worst days, God is never far away.  We just have to talk with him.  And thankfully, that has remained the same throughout the centuries.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Landing Up is well-constructed and paced, but it is not a film for the family.  As of my screening, it did not have a rating, but I would give it a hard R at the least.  When you’re dealing with the subject matter in the film, lots of swearing, drinking, and racy scenes will occur—and they are on full display.   

Just Getting Started: It’s Never Too Late

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Just Getting Started tells the story of Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman), a lovable hustler in the Villa Capri retirement home in Sarasota, Florida. The manager of Villa Capri, Duke’s desire is to forget about his past and make life one big party for himself and his residents. However, when a mysterious stranger named Leo (Tommy Lee Jones) arrives, it threatens the balance of power within the community and the two men begin to compete for the role of alpha male.

In the development of the Villa Capri, legendary writer/director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump) has created a truly unique setting that invites the viewer to believe that anything is possible. From ‘unofficial’ poker games to yoga to rampant sexual dalliances, the Capri is a colorful, energetic retirement community featuring fun and lovable characters. Furthermore, the film also features an almost frenetic performance by Morgan Freeman (which is a sentence I never thought I’d say) as Duke. In the same manner that Duke wants Villa Capri to be ‘one big party’, there is no question that the cast is enjoying themselves playing wilder versions of themselves.

While the film’s tone remains light throughout, it also speaks to the issue of starting over. To the people there, Villa Capri is more than simply an endless party. Instead, it’s a place where the elderly can reinvent themselves. The film spends very little time exploring the backstory of the majority of residents and that seems intentional. After all, with its enclosed community and lighthearted atmosphere, the Capri seems to carry an almost Edenic sense of freedom from the rest of the world for its residents.

Of course, simply believing that the past is behind you doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t consequences. For instance, while Duke may be a lovable hustler to the residents of Villa Capri, he is struggling to break free from his past. For Duke, being number one at Capri is more than simply being the best. Instead, it’s about establishing himself as someone new. However, despite his new life, he remains tied to a past of which he has yet to rid himself. As he becomes more open about his history and allows those around him to help is he able to properly deal with his past and move forward. Although Duke may present himself as a freewheeling hustler, he remains as broken and in need of support as everyone else. As a result, Duke’s journey reminds us of the power of healthy community as an agent of healing and hope. There is a Divine grace that allows us to move beyond our past hurts and mistakes, even as others seek to label us by what we’ve done.

In the end, Just Getting Started is a fun and freewheeling comedy that allows its stars the chance to explore their wilder sides. However, more importantly, it also presents the Villa Capri as a haven where the elderly can have a second chance at life, regardless of their past.

Starting Over (Again) – 1on1 with Ron Shelton

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Written and directed by the legendary Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump), Just Getting Started tells the story of Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman), a lovable hustler in the Villa Capri retirement home in Sarasota, Florida. The manager of Villa Capri, Duke’s desire is to forget about his past and make life one big party for himself and his residents. However, when a mysterious stranger named Leo (Tommy Lee Jones) arrives, it threatens the balance of power within the community and the two men begin to compete for the role of alpha male.

While the development can be difficult at times, Shelton says that this particular story came together very quickly as he was spending the holidays in Florida.

“I drove through Palm Springs one time at Christmas [while] tumble weeds were blowing down the street and dust storms,” he recalls. “Everybody’s playing golf and Johnny Mathis was being pumped out playing ‘Let It Snow’ and I thought ‘This is a good background for a movie’. It came to me in a traffic jam on the 405 freeway. I was thinking about a guy who was kind of a loveable hustler and that turned into Duke Diver. Then, I started thinking about these upscale retirement villages I’d heard about. By the time I’d gotten to my office, I kind of had the basics of the story. Now, it took the normal amount of time to write and re-write but, a little bit, it kind of came out of the blue.”

With the secret of Duke’s past playing a key role in the story, the film has a strong message of one’s ability to move forward in their life. In light of this, Shelton believes firmly that, under most circumstances, it’s essential for people to be able to have the opportunity to start over.

“The answer’s yes and, in a certain way, you have to. Now, if your past involves—not to get too serious—but if it involves a real failure of human behavior, that needs to be dealt with. If it’s just a failure of human effort, you can run and start all over. You can’t leave some act unaddressed. Sounds like I’m addressing the headlines of harassment. But, no. Who cares if you failed in three businesses in Ohio if you can come here and invent a fourth that works?”

In fact, Shelton also feels that the concept of reinventing one’s self, regardless of age, lies at the very heart of American culture.

“California… and the whole US, is about starting over,” he believes. “A lot of people came over to reinvent themselves… The whole west was founded by [the] kind of people whose pasts are being hidden… and outlaws. [They were] people wanting a new future so I think that’s build into the mythology out here. I do think it’s about looking forward. Everyone in the movie here is in their 60s and 70s—Morgan’s now 80—[and they] are not looking at the scrapbooks of the past and listening to sentimental music about your high school dance. It’s about ‘where’s the next party?’ or looking for a date… Because everybody I know, I mean I’m of a certain age, but we’re all working every day. We’re all about our next project. It’s only when I read that I’m old or that I’m of a generation that I go ‘Nonsense!’… So, I think it’s about looking forward. The given is that you’ll be running from your past.”

Of course, any film is only is strong as the quality of its characters. To create fully developed characters, Shelton credits a variety of moving pieces, ranging from the strength of the dialogue to the acting performances.

“Everything is a bit of a sketch. It’s just like a drawing, you know. I came out of the visual arts world,” he states. “There are some sketches that are very telling of a flower, a person, a face… that are more haiku drawing than others. In your secondary characters of the film, you have to make sure that every line matters. The women are different in this movie… the guys are more just a team of crony knuckleheads with less identity. Of course, when shooting, the actors sort of form their own musical dance and shorthand and so they’re identifiable. Every character has to be identifiable in every film. That’s very important to me in every movie.”

However, Shelton also believes that what makes a character memorable are their personal flaws. Having written and directed many classic films including Bull Durham and Tin Cup, Shelton argues that it is through these particular failings that the audience has the opportunity to relate to the hero’s journey.

“They have to have flaws. If they’re not flawed, they’re not interesting. And their flaws have to be part of their… chance at greatness too,” Shelton argues. “Tin Cup is a perfect example. If you give them a flaw or a blind spot, it gives them something to play against, something to overcome, something to run from, something to confront. And the flaws have to be shown on the screen and the page, in the acting and the shooting of it.”

“I think we identify with flawed characters. Their flaws have to be our flaws. You can hate golf but Tin Cup’s flaw is that he’s actually afraid of success, which is a very common one. He’s created this character of a big fish in a small pond… His flaw is also thinking that he can be immortal so he’s going to fail at a really compelling level. You don’t have to know anything about golf to know what being self-destructive and a fear of success is. That’s universal. So that’s an example.”

When asked if there are any particular characters from his films that he would have liked to revisit, Shelton insists that, for the most part, he likes to leave them alone when production is over.

“I’m done with them. Although, there was a lot of pressure to do the next version of Bull Durham, which I didn’t give in to,” he remembers. “There are some characters that would turn into a tv series. I think White Men Can’t Jump would’ve. I think the guy from Tin Cup, I wanted to do a sequel. What happened to him? Did he actually learn from this? Did he hold onto the girl? He’s got such a self-destructive clock ticking in him and yet he’s sort of got these inclinations of greatness and immortality. I would’ve liked to have spent more time with him but we didn’t get the opportunity.”

With this in mind, a recurring image throughout Shelton’s career has been that of the theatrical impact of professional sports. With films tackling sports ranging from boxing (Play It to the Bone) to basketball (White Men Can’t Jump) in his filmography, he claims that the drama lies not in the sport itself but in the male need to compete.

Says Shelton, “The male needs to compete. It’s fascinating to me. I do think it’s in the DNA. I don’t think it’s entirely conditioning. I do think there’s something chemical about that. Watch animals. Where does that come from and how does one monitor that and adjust that, make that a part of a healthy character, not an unhealthy character. We see the unhealthy behaviour all the time in world politics and in world leaders and athletic behaviour but there’s a healthy version of that too. I maybe explore that in serious and comic ways all along. I think that women seem to have a wiser worldview, although flawed in their own ways, than the guys. Men do compete. Men do want to one up and its part of their strength and greatness and it’s part of their weakness. It’s a very western view.”

Just Getting Started is in theaters now.

 

The Story of Us – Ep. 3: Love Never Fails

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Turning on the television, reading the newspaper, or even browsing a news website these days is enough to fill a person with dread. Tensions between countries are escalating.  People are increasingly accusing others of things publicly (for better or worse).  Making a wrong move these days can result in viral videos and being hunted by a digital mob that has more presence by the hour. In a world filled with darkness and fear, what power does love have, if any?  In the third episode of The Story of Us (National Geographic, 9PM/8CT or on demand), Morgan Freeman explored some unique answers to the question that are worthy to be considered.

The episode began with Freeman recreating the Beatles’ famous walk across Abbey Road in England.  It made perfect sense, as the Beatles sang their famous tune “All You Need Is Love” to a worldwide audience around the time of Woodstock.  But were McCartney and the band correct? Freeman offered a number of vignettes providing challenging perspectives on what love truly is.  On a trip to Ethiopia, for example, he watched a tribe’s manhood ritual, one that involved women attempting to acquire the attention of boys by waving thin tree branches at them.  When a boy found the woman he wanted, he took the branch from her and hit her, causing potential scars on her back and side.  It was brutal to watch, but the reason for it involved love in the form of protection and unity.

Another segment of the episode found Freeman interviewing a Pakistani-born attorney living in England.  She thought she found Mr. Right on her own, but ended up divorcing him after a year.  Meanwhile, her parents back home attempted to play the role of Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, arranging a suitor and marriage for her with a man she met for thirty minutes while visiting the family in Pakistan. She married him; fifteen years and two kids later, they’re still happily together.

Love does not always have to involve romance, however.  The story of Major William Swenson’s determination and sacrifice to save a fellow member of his team in harm’s way during an ambush was powerful.  The point here was simple: the bond between members of a group (military or otherwise) can become so strong that the group loves each other enough to stand beside each other in both good times and bad.

Love can even hope to bring dignity to a person’s life who hasn’t seen it in a while.  One gentleman in London put his beliefs into action by taking his backpack and a stool into the streets in an attempt to provide homeless individuals haircuts and shaves.  Watching the transformation of a haggardly older man was visually eye-opening.

Of course, it’s easy to look at these examples and immediately think of the Apostle Paul’s famous commentary on love in 1 Corinthians 13: love doesn’t boast; it isn’t self-serving; it always protects; it never fails regardless of country or the people involved.  However, my biggest takeaway from the third episode came from the initial interview Freeman had with a gentleman in a quiet playground.   A few decades ago, Romania had an overglut of kids thanks to laws enacted by former dictator Nikolae Ceausescu requiring all families to have at least five offspring.  As a result, orphanges across the country were filled beyond the breaking point, both in number of kids and lack of workers. Conditions were beyond deplorable, with kids never seeing green grass or even the outside of the building. The gentleman being interviewed was able to get out of the orphanage to America through adoption, but when shown true love by his new parents, he simply couldn’t handle it; it was a foreign concept to him. He rebelled and ran away from his family, but later learned that one of his new sisters had been in a bad car accident.  And just like the prodigal son in Luke 15, he returned home to find his father with open arms, ready to receive him back with no conditions.

So, does love have power in this day and age? Absolutely!  We just have to be willing to slow down and look around a little bit. What we see may amaze us and perhaps transform our lives to be more loving and caring for those we hold dear—or even those we don’t know.